2017-2018 Task Force Recommendations
The university leadership and the Ithaca campus community have collectively identified a number of initiatives and activities focused on creating a more inclusive and welcoming campus. Many were proposed by the Presidential Task Force on Campus Climate and the Provost’s Task Force to Enhance Faculty Diversity, both of which did their work during the 2017-2018 academic year. The table below provides a way of tracking progress on these initiatives. Several of the items listed have been, or are in the process of being addressed. Others will take time to accomplish, and some are aspirational.
We will regularly update this table as progress is made - updates are marked by an asterisk and highlighted in yellow.
Source column:
CC = Presidential Task Force on Campus Climate
FD = Report of the Provost’s Task Force to Enhance Faculty Diversity
O = Other Initiatives
I. Build a culture that values transparency, accountability, and communication around issues of diversity and inclusion.
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| *CC | Clearly identify university-level priorities for diversity and inclusion and provide a mechanism for tracking progress. | Achieved Fall 2019 and Ongoing A new diversity and inclusion framework has been rolled out. The Belonging at Cornell framework will continue the progress towards making Cornell a more diverse and inclusive environment. Features include a clear strategy for accountability and action and a plan for collaboration across colleges and units. Updates on this and status changes to task force recommendations will be maintained on this web page. |
| *CC, FD | Require each dean to develop and report on annual school/college diversity and inclusion priorities. | Achieved Spring 2019 and Ongoing The Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) councils for each college/unit submitted D&I initiatives and results for the 2018-19 year, with the dean's approval. Going forward deans will be responsible for reporting the initiatives against targeted metrics. Currently, diversity recruiting and retention are reported annually. |
| *CC | Reconfigure the central diversity team; make it more strategic; ensure that it has sufficient staffing and funding; has appropriate communication with schools and colleges, including access to diversity analytics; and student input. | Achieved Fall 2018 The institutional leadership structure to support diversity was reconfigured and three leaders are currently in place to represent faculty, staff, and students, respectively. Vice Provost Avery August chairs the group, sits on the University Cabinet and represents faculty. He is joined by Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Workforce Diversity, Angela Winfield (representing staff) and Interim Dean of Students, Marla Love (representing students). These Presidential Advisors on Diversity & Equity (PADE) meet regularly with the President’s Cabinet and other members of the institutional leadership. A structure of diversity leads and committees within the colleges and units has been established with the deans/VPs and will work closely with the PADE to rollout priorities and develop action plans. |
| *CC | Review and increase awareness of the bias reporting process and mechanisms for sharing information about bias incidents on campus. Ensure sufficient staffing. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing Improvements have been made to the bias reporting protocol including updates in the processes, definitions, terminology, and categorizations for handling and tracking reports of bias for student, faculty and/or staff incidents. Options to report bias incidents have been made available on the Division of Student and Campus and, Division of Human Resources and Diversity websites as well as via contact with counselors and the Cornell University Police Department. Training and awareness campaigns for responding to and reporting bias are ongoing. |
| *CC | Reassess the pace and cadence of communications around diversity and inclusion, including communicating the public health impacts of racism. Update the website on diversity and inclusion to provide “one-stop” shopping for information about diversity resources. | Achieved Spring 2020 and Ongoing A thorough review of communications around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion has been performed this academic year by the office of the Vice President for University Relations, in consultation with the newly announced Presidential Advisors on Diversity & Equity (PADE). As one part of that review, the diversity website has been enhanced to provide a central source of diversity information. In addition, careful consideration has been given to ensuring how to most effectively reach populations and subpopulations after disturbing incidents, and how to support Resident Advisors and Teaching Assistants (TA) who often are directly involved in the early stages of communication to the community. |
| *CC | Conduct a detailed analysis of the information in the diversity scorecard and make changes to it as needed, including adding information from individual units. | Achieved Spring 2021 Development of the new Diversity & Inclusion framework includes review of content, metrics and useability of the diversity scorecard. The results of the 2020 Belonging at Cornell survey will form the basis of the new Belonging at Cornell dashboards. |
II. Develop visible institutional statements and symbols of our priorities, and policies that are well-aligned with them.
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| *CC | Develop a new campus-wide alternative dispute resolution program. | Achieved Fall 2019 and Ongoing The Student and Campus Life (SCL) Care & Crisis team has developed a new conflict resolution program that focuses on building more connected and inclusive spaces through dialogue at the interpersonal, group and community-wide level. The program utilizes techniques such as mediation and restorative justice to respond to conflict, harm and identity-based concerns. |
| *CC, FD | Establish awards to recognize faculty, staff, and students who contribute in exemplary ways to improving campus climate. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing A number of awards are in place. Examples of awards for faculty, staff, and students include: The Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service through Diversity was established in 2019. Two faculty members will be awarded for their leadership in diversity. |
| *CC, FD | Develop a statement of the university’s core values. | Achieved Fall 2019 After a community-wide collaborative process, the university adopted a set of core values that will serve as the foundation for a more equitable and inclusive atmosphere for all Cornell campuses. |
| *CC | Make significant changes to the Campus Code of Conduct. | Achieved Fall 2020 After comprehensive reviews and a thorough update to the Campus Code of Conduct, it has been approved by University leadership. The process of revising the Code involved several steps including input from various University entities and feedback from the broader campus community. The new Code will be available through SCL’s website, the Graduate School’s website, the University Policy Office’s website, the Office of the Assemblies’ website and numerous other web pages. The new Code will go into effect in Fall 2021. |
| *CC | Unify adjudication and management of the Greek letter organizations with that of other student groups. | Achieved Fall 2019 The Division of Student and Campus Life (SCL) has conducted an extensive review of Greek organization judicial processes. Updated guidelines are available on the SCL website. |
III. Provide diversity education to all stakeholders.
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| *CC | Expand access to Intergroup Dialogue Project, including mandatory sessions at new student orientation. | Achieved Fall 2018 Beginning with the Class of 2022, all incoming first-year students and transfer students will participate in a 3-part Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP) session during New Student Orientation. In addition, several offerings including a full semester, three-credit, peer-facilitated course are available. |
| *CC | Provide visible support of diversity education by university leadership. | Achieved Summer 2018 and Ongoing As examples:
|
| *CC | Increase faculty awareness and provide education that leads to a more supportive learning environment and greater knowledge of available campus resources. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing A new, four-week, self-paced online course, “Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom” was offered through the Center for Teaching Innovation during the fall 2018 semester for anyone with teaching responsibilities at Cornell, at any level of diversity expertise. The course was offered again in the Spring and incorporated input based on the assessment data, including offering more opportunities for participants to meet face to face, and adding CITE (Cornell Interactive Theater Ensemble) to the curriculum. A two-day, Faculty Institute for Diversity, held twice per year, offers opportunities for exploring and structuring an inclusive classroom environment. Additionally, Cornell's Center for Teaching Innovation is now offering Teaching & Learning in the Diverse Classroom as a massive open online course (MOOC). |
| *CC | Guarantee that all teaching assistants receive structured orientation prior to starting their teaching | Achieved Spring 2020 A new resource is available as part of CTI’s fall 2020 teaching assistant (TA) training programs, the Cornell Teaching Assistant Online Orientation. The 4-5 hour online orientation includes essential information to accelerate new TAs on the path to success in their teaching roles, as well as details about campus teaching support resources. The course embeds principles around diversity and inclusion in two of the five modules. |
| *CC | Provide mandatory Intergroup Dialogue training to students in key positions of influence. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing Intergroup Dialogue (IDP) sessions continue to be part of freshman orientation, started in the fall 2018 semester, as well as for incoming and transfer students at the start of the spring 2019 semester. The program has been provided to a number of student groups and their leadership, including Greek organizations. Enhancements have included spending more time in small group activities, shorter sessions, tweaking time slots to avoid evenings and Saturdays, mixing students from different schools and colleges in groups and embedding IDP into colleges’ first-year advising colloquia to extend beyond orientation. |
| *CC | Provide proactive training for staff on climate issues. | Achieved Fall 2019 and Ongoing The Division of Human Resources offers a range of training programs on relevant issues for staff. These include diversity and inclusion training programs through the Inclusive Excellence Network featuring events, seminars, podcasts and other learning opportunities aligned with the staff strategic plan. Human Resources has implemented a mandatory six-part training module for staff on diversity and inclusion. |
| CC | Establish a student leadership development program that features diversity and inclusion training and opportunity for certification. | Future Years We will work to identify resources and determine the level of interest. |
IV. Increase faculty diversity and foster faculty commitment to diversity.
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FD | Ensure a culture in which retention efforts are continuous, starting at the time of a faculty member’s hire. | Ongoing The Office of Faculty Development and Diversity sponsors multiple mentoring programs, including networking lunches and peer mentoring grants. In addition, the reorganized diversity and inclusion structure will work with departments and colleges to establish consistent and proactive retention processes. |
| *FD | Offer implicit bias training to faculty search committees and for search committees for senior leadership appointments. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing As of November, bias training is mandatory for all faculty search committees to obtain access to the funding. In addition, the Office of Faculty Development & Diversity (OFDD) has provided resources to assist with diverse faculty recruitment. |
| *FD | Increase support from the provost for faculty hires that advance diversity. | Achieved Summer 2018 Provost Michael Kotlikoff announced increases in spending to enhance the recruitment of diverse faculty and provide ongoing retention support. The additional funding will bring total spending toward recruiting and retaining diverse faculty to more than $60 million during the next five years. |
| *CC, FD | Require diversity and inclusion statements for candidates for tenure and tenure-track positions; candidates for senior leadership appointments; and as part of faculty annual reviews and tenure dossiers. | Achieved Summer 2019 The Guidelines on Contributions to Diversity was finalized in June 2019 as a resource for all faculty. |
| *FD | Establish a Presidential New Faculty Fellows Program. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing The Presidential New Faculty Fellows Program is in place and will be administered by the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity. |
| CC | Convene a panel of experts to assess the teaching evaluations currently used across our colleges and recommend revisions. | Future Years The provost will work with the dean of the faculty and the Faculty Senate to further explore this recommendation. |
| FD | Host a faculty diversity summit to expose potential faculty applicants to Cornell. | Future Years The provost will work with the dean of the faculty and the Faculty Senate to explore this recommendation. |
V. Enhance the student experience to support social belonging and wellness
[Note: Some of the initiatives here are also directly relevant to staff and faculty experience of belonging.]
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| *CC | Engage students in a space study of their residence halls and in generating ideas for how best to use common spaces to facilitate a more welcoming and interactive community. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing New or renovated physical spaces include community areas. Planning for new North Campus residence halls has included close collaboration with the Residential Student Congress as well as open focus groups for students. Similar sessions will be held for future renovations as they take shape. |
| CC | Establish a religious advisory committee to promote education about religious diversity and provide guidelines to faculty about religious accommodations for students. | Existing Cornell United Religious Work (CURW) comprises over 25 affiliated communities, and offers both programs of worship and interfaith dialogue that supports understanding of religious diversity. The dean of the faculty sends out periodic reminders to faculty about providing accommodations to students for religious observances. Similarly, leaders from CURW will attend an upcoming Faculty Senate meeting focused on providing student accommodations. To create and maintain an inclusive and respectful workplace for all employees regardless of religious belief or non-belief, at the start of each academic year the Office of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity sends a message to all deans, directors and department supervisors outlining guidelines and best practices for staff and faculty. |
| *CC | Clarify expectations for advisors of student organizations. | Achieved Spring 2019 An updated Club Advisor website has been launched clarifying advisor expectations and adding a statement on harassment, discrimination and bias policies and procedures, with a link to reporting. |
| CC | Create a mechanism to address student concerns about physical safety. | Achieved Fall 2018 The Rave Guardian App was made available for free to all university members. In addition, the Cornell University Police department issues regular newsletters highlighting areas of focus and resources to ensure safety. |
| O | Hire a full-time advisor for DACA and undocumented students. | Achieved Spring 2018 The Office of the Dean of Students created the Office of Undocumented/DACA Student Support. The unit works closely with various offices to strengthen campus connections for undocumented/DACA students, lead campus awareness workshops for faculty, staff and students and supports student needs, programming and initiatives for undocumented/DACA students and students from mixed-status families. |
| *O | Create a First-Generation/Low Income Student Resource Center | Achieved Summer 2018 and Ongoing The First-Generation Low-Income (FGLI) unit serves to provide resources and eliminate barriers for first-generation students. As an example, The Kessler Scholars Program provides broad support to 20 incoming first-generation students each year who have demonstrated a record of academic excellence and are motivated to improve the world through community engaged service. This program is expected to grow over the next four years to support approximately 80 students/year, selected from all seven undergraduate colleges at Cornell. |
| CC | Offer “pop-up” counseling services to support students at various locations across campus after difficult incidents. Ensure that there is sufficient staff for these and related Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) outreach efforts. | Achieved Summer 2018 Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has hired additional staff to support expanded “Let’s Talk” hours and sites, which will be monitored and adjusted throughout the year. CAPS staff will also be available to support specific communities and locations that are impacted by campus incidents. |
| CC | Provide exceptional care and counseling services that meet the needs and are reflective of Cornell’s diverse student population. | Achieved 2017-2018 and Ongoing Last academic year, Cornell Health embarked on multiple national searches, increasing the number of therapists available to students. The searches were successful in recruiting talented therapists with experience supporting a diverse student community. As future searches occur, Cornell Health will continue to prioritize care that recognizes our diverse community. A comprehensive review of student mental health services was completed in 2020. |
| *O | Created a new housing option for LGBTQ students. | Achieved Fall 2018 The LGBTQ+ Living Learning Unit, also known as Loving House, will be housed in Mews Hall on North Campus beginning in fall 2019. Loving House was created to help foster a safe and supportive environment for student of all identities. Applications for the 30 spots exceeded capacity but Loving House will include programming to address issues within the LGBTQ+ community for students both in house and from the broader university community. |
| *CC | Identify obstacles to participation in international learning opportunities and address them. | Achieved Fall 2019 and Ongoing The vice provost for international affairs is focused on ensuring meaningful international learning activities for all students who seek them, including identifying financial support, e.g., through philanthropy, to broaden participation. The Experience Cornell website provides a resource for finding global opportunities. |
| *O | Expand the Active Learning Initiative (ALI) across campus. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing The Active Learning Initiative (ALI) supports departments in redesigning their courses to implement research-based active learning strategies and to create sustainable improvements to undergraduate education at Cornell. ALI doubled in scope and impact in 2019 with $5M in new grants awarded university wide. Seventy faculty members work on substantially changing the way they teach in more than 40 courses to over 4,500 students. ALI has proven to promote inclusivity in the classroom, enhance student learning, and reduce performance gaps. |
| *CC | Require each Greek chapter to provide full transparency about their organization’s dues prior to the start of recruitment. | Achieved Fall 2019 A comprehensive scorecard for all Greek organizations that includes key indicators for each chapter including membership and costs, service hours and full judicial history has been posted publicly online. This information is available on the Sorority and Fraternity Life website and will be updated annually at the start of each academic year. |
| *CC | Rewrite student activities funding commission. As part of such funding, provide grants to intellectual programming. for student organizations and social events. | Achieved Spring 2019 and Ongoing The Student Assembly prioritized the review and revision of student organization funding process for the 2019-2020 year. Current guidelines can be found under Student Activities Funding Commission (SAFC). |
| *CC | Require student organizations that use an application process for admission to abide by best practices guidelines for managing their recruiting processes. | Scheduled for 2021-2022 The Campus Activities Office is currently providing education to all organizations. With support from the Division of Student and Campus Life, recommendations for revisions to the guidelines, with mandatory practices, will be implemented in the next year. |
| *CC | Reinvigorate the executive disability steering committee. (**also relevant to faculty and staff) | Achieved Fall 2019 and Ongoing With the arrival of the new director of Student Disability Services in spring 2019, the ADA Coordinator team has drafted a 3-year (FY20 – FY22) disability access strategic plan that will be presented to the executive disability steering committee, made up of nine university leaders, for approval. A decision was made to continue the #DiversityIncludesDisability awareness campaign. |
| *CC | Raise awareness of health and wellness services offered to students, faculty, and staff. (**also relevant to faculty and staff) | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing A new campaign, produced with recommendations from students, was launched during the fall 2018 semester to highlight all mental health support using posters, a website and social media. A revamped wellbeing site is in place to provide resources including workshops, event and tools for faculty and staff in support of health, wellness and general wellbeing for employees and those they care about. |
| *CC | Encourage departments to post research positions through the Student Experience platform, and identify obstacles to faculty doing so. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing The Student Experience Initiative platform is live and continues to grow. The platform includes information about research positions and opportunities. In December 2018, the Student Experience Initiative was selected as one of 50 winners of the 2019 Digital Edge 50 Awards. |
| *CC | Institute a diversity course requirement for every undergraduate. | Partially Achieved and Ongoing Curricular requirements are the prerogative of the faculty. This recommendation has been conveyed to the Dean of the Faculty, for discussion within the Faculty Senate and each of the colleges and schools. As of Fall 2019, a full semester, three-credit, peer-facilitated course is being offered and is open to all Cornell undergraduate students. In addition, outside of the formal curriculum, beginning with the Class of 2022, all incoming first-year students participate in an Intergroup Dialogue Project session during New Student Orientation. |
| *O | Conduct a comprehensive review of student mental health. | Achieved Spring 2020 A comprehensive review of student mental health on the Ithaca campus was completed in Spring 2020. The report includes specific recommendations for areas such as academic policies and practices; well-being resources; student programming; and promoting help-seeking behaviors. After collecting input from the campus community, a newly formed Executive Accountability Committee (EAC) will further explore the recommendations, their feasibility, and strategies for implementation. See developments on the Mental Health at Cornell website, which is home to helpful resources for all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students (including Cornell Tech), and for faculty and staff. |
| CC | Seek donor support to establish a university-wide internship grant program to make volunteer and low-paying internships financially accessible to students from lower-income backgrounds. | Ongoing and Aspirational Support of all kinds for low-income students is a priority and will continue to be in our fundraising efforts. As an example, Cornell received a substantial gift that has enabled the creation of the First-Generation and Low-Income student support unit in the dean of students' office, and a meaningful portion of those resources are being dedicated to unexpected expenses for these populations. |
| CC | Provide space for the multicultural Greek chapters to live in and/or use for programming. | Ongoing and Aspirational Upon the conclusion of the North Campus Residential Expansion, living options for multicultural Greek chapters will be explored directly with the leaders of Multicultural Greek Letter Council. |
| *CC | Create more gender-neutral bathrooms. | Achieved and Ongoing As Cornell renovates existing buildings and constructs new ones, we consider the needs for single occupant restrooms and incorporate them, whenever feasible. The University maintains several universal restrooms across campus. |
VI. Create more opportunities for intergroup interaction
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CC, O | Provide an engaged learning opportunity to all students, including to cohorts from residential halls. | Ongoing The Engaged Cornell program provides engaged learning opportunities to all students, and we will continue to offer its programs. The Equity and Engagement Living Learning Community is an example of providing such opportunities in a residential hall. Opened in fall 2018, it offers a variety of programs, discussions, and training opportunities on topics such as race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, ability status and religion to engage it residents and the campus community in dialogue grounded in social justice principles. |
| CC | Sponsor more events that are open to and celebrate the entire Cornell community and what is distinctive about it. | Ongoing We will consider meaningful—and fun—events that can engage the entire campus. |
| CC | Create a multicultural student center. | Aspirational We have identified a potential location and initiated a funding strategy for this proposal. |
| CC | Create a disability cultural resource center. | Aspirational |
VII. Recruit and retain a diverse staff workforce
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| *CC | Ensure that staff evaluation procedures serve as a mechanism to provide feedback about workplace climate. | Achieved and Ongoing The Division of Human Resources has been advancing “pulse” surveys to assess climate in workplaces throughout campus, and the Office of Organizational Development and Talent Management assists units in understanding and addressing emerging issues. Tools to assess and address workplace climate including staff surveys, are also being used campus-wide and in many units. Human Resources will continue to review additional means for staff to provide anonymous feedback. The Spring 2020 Belonging at Cornell survey serves as a baseline on climate metrics for both staff and faculty. |
| CC | Develop a network for student services staff that supports professional development activities and networking. | Achieved Summer 2018 and Ongoing An inaugural Student Professionals Network meeting with student-facing staff from across campus was held in August 2018. These meetings will occur once per semester moving forward. |
| *CC | Adopt a more purposeful and attentive approach to onboarding newly hired employees. | Achieved Summer 2018 and Ongoing Improvements to the onboarding experience have been made that create a more employee-centered experience built around a set of core priorities (click on “Belonging” for details). Resources include a welcome center website for new employees and acclimation tools for supervisors to help orient employees in the first few months of their employment at Cornell. |
| *CC | Involve employees in efforts to enhance workforce diversity. | Partly Achieved and Ongoing The Division of Human Resources is engaging with members of the Colleague Network Groups, a platform for senior leadership to connect with marginalized communities, in planning and executing diversity and inclusion strategies. The CNGs operate based upon four principles or pillars: Give, Engage, Achieve, Recruit (GEAR). Planning is underway to develop a Recruitment Ambassador program through which CNG members are trained to be an ambassador for Cornell at industry events where they may identify and engage talented potential university employees. |
| *CC | Further support staff professional development | Achieved Spring 2019 and Ongoing New online supervisory training, Supervising@Cornell, is available. These courses will offer ongoing learning for supervisors and provide access to the latest developments in policy, technology, and programming at Cornell to best support staff and supervisory responsibilities. Another new offering, the Appreciation Portal allows supervisors and colleagues to send kudos to others in real time. Professional development and staff support opportunities are promoted via the weekly Faculty/Staff Newsletter. |
| *CC | Provide opportunities for members of the Colleague Network Groups to directly interact with university leadership. | Achieved Fall 2018 and Ongoing The leaders of the Colleague Network Groups (CNGs) are meeting with the vice president and chief human resource officer, and the director of inclusion and workforce diversity to advance these conversations. University leaders have been identified and are meeting with CNGs. |
| *CC, FD | Create a housing task force to develop a range of possible solutions for improving the availability of housing options for diverse staff. (**also relevant to faculty) | Partly Achieved Spring 2019 and Ongoing Staff from the Divisions of Human Resources and Facilities and Campus Services are assessing workforce housing needs, with plans to propose potential long-term solutions. A select number of openings in Maplewood housing has been advertised to faculty and staff. |
VIII. Partner with the surrounding community on issues of diversity and inclusion
| Source | Initiative | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CC | Create incentives that will help to support and increase the number of minority-owned businesses in the Ithaca area. | Existing The Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion, Procurement Services and the Johnson School Big Red Consulting have teamed up to provide consulting services annually to a select number of women or minority owned vendors to help them improve their businesses. |
| *CC | Launch a partnership with other large employers in Ithaca/Tompkins County to develop shared solutions for creating a vibrant living community that appeals to diverse populations. | Partly Achieved and Ongoing In addition to the Local Leaders of Color group, which brings together leaders of Ithaca and Tompkins County to discuss relevant community issues and to share plans and ideas, we are partnering other local employers to host a website that will provide resources for prospective and new employees to the area. |
* Progress updates